NBA – The Sixers center didn’t appreciate Draymond Green calling Nikola Jokic the hardest player to defend in the NBA.
An adult among children. This expression is often used with Joel Embiid when he martyrs the defenses, and usually, these are those of the Hornets, the Pistons or the Rockets. But tonight, the All-Star pivot ripped through the defense of the NBA champions, the Warriors. Author of 46 points, but also 9 rebounds and 8 assists, Embiid was monstrous and in fact, he was simply more motivated than usual. For what ? Draymond Green has the answer.
“He came to me and said, ‘Do you know why I played like that tonight? You said Jokic was the hardest player to defend in the NBA. I took it for myself.” tells the inside of the Warriorsbefore laughing: “So, I’m going to tell you all: Joel is the hardest player to defend in the NBA! “.
Vary the defenses to exhaust it
More seriously, Green believes that Embiid has made the difference in the MVP race for two weeks, but also that the Warriors’ undermining work ended up paying off in the 4th quarter. “We didn’t want a linear strategy with him. In the fourth quarter, we tried a lot of different things, we doubled up high up the field, we doubled up in the low post. Once, we made the two-take at 3-pointers. The coach left us free to feign a few exits, then to step back to try to unbalance him. »
By the way, Green pays tribute to Kevon Looney. And this even if Embiid planted 46 points. “Kevon Looney did an amazing job all night battling him. That said, he finished the match with 46 points, but Loon fought until the end, he challenged him physically, hoping to wear him down. In the last six minutes, he missed a few shots he had made so far. You just have to keep confidence in his defense and in his approach, and we did a good job of that. »